float 1 of 2

1
as in to hover
to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air a canoe floating down the river particles of dust floating in the air

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2

float

2 of 2

noun

as in dock
a structure used by boats and ships for taking on or landing cargo and passengers the crew put the cargo on the float before heading back down the river

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of float
Verb
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s prominent absence from a Russian Security Council meeting on Wednesday, when President Vladimir Putin floated the possibility of full-scale nuclear testing. Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025 Some of them could cause severe damage to space stations and satellites, endangering the global space economy floating above us, which is currently valued at more than $600 billion. Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
The party also marked 10 years of The Frankie Shop, celebrations of which will continue during the New York Halloween Parade; the brand will have a float, which will be a giant cake. Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025 Grab a spot along the route to catch marching bands, military units, and colorful floats honoring the city’s service members. Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for float
Recent Examples of Synonyms for float
Verb
  • But the dark cloud that’s been hovering over the Flyers’ generally solid first month of the season — the lack of production from Michkov — may have finally started to lift.
    Kevin Kurz, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Designer Chad Graci applied it to living-room ceilings of a private residence at the Four Seasons in New Orleans, where the lacquer hovers overhead like a shimmering pond.
    Kathryn O’Shea-Evans, Robb Report, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Rio has several bairros, or neighborhoods, but Barros prefers to wander the winding streets of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, a hilly district with an artistic vibe, colonial architecture, and panoramic views of the city.
    Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Kyle MacLachlan was wandering around the Paramour Estate in Silver Lake, the lavish former home of silent film star Antonio Moreno and his wife and oil heiress Daisey Canfield last night.
    Peter White, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • This gift set gets includes a charging dock, charging cable and travel pouch.
    Tim Chan, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2025
  • There, a dock sits almost level with the crystal-blue water—the same color as the fervedouros—and wooden steps descend into the cool water.
    Aaron Randolph, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • My shot had the distance, but unfortunately sailed a good 20 feet over the crossbar.
    Evan Moore November 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
  • As the boat sails away, the Creature quietly stares into the sunrise with a smile on his face.
    Yasmeen Hamadeh, PEOPLE, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Bison roam freely, wild horses graze on ridges, and entire prairie dog towns pop up along the roadside.
    Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The attraction once let families see free-roaming lions from the safety of their Chevy Impalas and Ford Fairlanes.
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Nightlife Howard Smith Wharves Once an underused stretch of industrial wharf, Howard Smith Wharves is now Brisbane’s liveliest nightlife destination.
    Alli Forde, Travel + Leisure, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Docked at the Clark Street Bridge in Chicago, the ship rolled over into the river at the wharf's edge.
    Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Helping Sotheby’s achieve such an eye-watering figure was Mercedes Gleitze’s ‘Companion Oyster,’ an ultra-rare Rolex prototype worn by the first British women to swim the English Channel on one of her many journeys across the water.
    Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Knobs on the edges of whale flippers help the animals swim in tight circles.
    Carl Zimmer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Virginia was once a swing state but has drifted toward Democrats over the past few decades.
    Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • But life has a way of lulling you into complacency, and over time my eyes drifted less frequently to the sky.
    Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Float.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/float. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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